向前一步:第27期 职业女性的内在障碍(16)

 Compounding the problem is a social-psychological phenomenon called "stereotype¹ threat." 把问题往复杂了说，这就是“成见威胁”。

Social scientists have observed that when members of a group are made aware of a negative stereotype, 社会科学家们已经注意到，当一个群体的成员形成一种负面的固有认知后，

they are more likely to perform according to that stereotype. 他们可能更倾向于按照这种认知行动。

For example, stereotypically², boys are better at math and science than girls. 比如，人们会带有成见地认为，男孩在数学和理科领域比女孩更擅长。

When girls are reminded of their gender³ before a math or science test, 当在一场数学或理科科目考试前被提醒了自己的性别时，

even by something as simple as checking off an M or F box at the top of the test, they perform worse. 哪怕只是在试卷上方加上“男”或“女”的性别选项，女孩的考试成绩就会变差。

Stereotype threat discourages girls and women from entering technical fields and is one of the key reasons that so few study computer science. 女性对技术领域望而却步，而且学习计算机科学的女孩如此稀少，成见威胁也是重要原因之一。

As a Facebook summer intern⁴ once told me, "In my school's computer science department, there are more Daves than girls." 脸谱网的一位暑期实习生曾对我说过，他所在的系里连叫“戴维”的男生的人数都比女生人数多。

The stereotype of a working woman is rarely attractive. 一个职业女性的固有形象对人们来说是没什么吸引力的。

Popular culture has long portrayed⁵ successful working women as so consumed by their careers that they have no personal life 长久以来，流行文化将成功的职业女性刻画成疲于工作而且没有个人生活的女强人形象。

(think Sigourney Weaver⁶ in Working Girl and Sandra Bullock in The Proposal). 你可以想想电影《上班女郎》里的西格尼·韦弗，还有《假结婚》里的桑德拉·布洛克。

If a female character divides her time between work and family, 如果一个女性不得不在工作和家庭之间往返奔波，

she is almost always harried⁷ and guilt⁸ ridden (think Sarah Jessica Parker in I Don't Know How She Does It). 那么她肯定是一副受尽折磨并且负罪深重的样子。想想《凯特的外遇日记》里的莎拉·杰西卡·帕克你就知道了。

And these characterizations have moved beyond fiction. 这类刻板印象已经不限于虚构了：

 

1 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

2 stereotypically   

adv.带有成见地(stereotype的副词形式)

参考例句：

3 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

4 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。

5 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

7 harried   

v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰

参考例句：

• She has been harried by the press all week. 整个星期她都受到新闻界的不断烦扰。
• The soldiers harried the enemy out of the country. 士兵们不断作骚扰性的攻击直至把敌人赶出国境为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。